Favorite areas of parks?

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SLC Headache

SLC Headache

Aug 9, 2017
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What areas of amusement/theme parks have completely charmed you, be it by the rides inhabiting it or just the ambiance?

My favorite area would be Aquitaine at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, followed by the Boardwalk at Knott's Berry Farm. Both are anchored by especially handsome roller coasters - Griffon and Xcelerator respectively - and the themes resonated with me. Aquitaine at BGW wins out because of the fries and ice cream, and the beauty of the area.

Together, San Marco and Festa Italia at Busch Gardens Williamsburg would win, with the pizza and Escape from Pompeii in the former and Apollo's Chariot in the latter, but BGW considers them separate areas.
 
The very top of Big Bad Wolf on a warm night just before the first drop when it's quiet and you're in the trees and you can see the lights of the park from a distance but you're sort of hidden in the dark.

Also, I can't decide. I love all the areas for different reasons. The only area I sort of go "..." with is New France because WHY OH WHY IS CANADA IN THE MIDDLE OF OLD WORLD EUROPE!? But mostly I just really love BGW all over. In all of its little crevices and nooks and crannies. All of it.

Edit: Oh and and also I like the theming of Poseidon's Fury and Epcot's Germany and Italy. Exceptionally well done. Also England in Epcot. And France... all of it. Just... all of it.
 
There are so many parks that I could talk about, but for now I'm just going to focus on the two Busch Gardens parks.

Germany is my favorite area at Busch Gardens Williamsburg because Oktoberfest has the most fun things to do in my opinion. Rhinefeld creates a believable atmosphere of being an old Roman fortress town. Some people have argued that any real village like that in Europe would have roofs with different colors, but in Bavaria that is not so.

Instead of gray roofs, red clay roofs are the most common throughout Germany, but especially in Bavaria. Just look at the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for reference. That was filmed in Germany, and as they are flying over the village, red roofs are all you see. Also, storks are very commonly found nesting in those towns, so the storks are a very nice detail.

At Busch Gardens Tampa, my favorite area is Pantopia, which is like their version of Oktoberfest mixed with the original idea for Festa Italia. It builds very well off of Timbuktu, which is what it was previously. This area tells a story better than any theme park area that I know, maybe including Universal, since most of their best areas are not based on original content. Before you even enter the area, you can tell that people have come to this area from many parts of the world, bringing parts of their culture with them.

If you were asking me to pick one of the African themed areas at BGT, I would say Morocco is my favorite area. Right away, you feel like you have walked into a fantasy land setting like that which was depicted in the movie, Casablanca. You start through the market place that has obviously been cleaned up a little bit for tourists. Then as you start exploring a little bit more, you may notice that the buildings are becoming a bit more ornate.

You can see how the wealthiest people are living right next to these impoverished tourist trap towns. The grand Moroccan Palace Theatre is just beautiful in the way that it looms over everything.

All of these areas are even more special to me because they create a feeling that there is a bigger world to explore, beyond the pathways that you can walk on.
 
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I can not believe I forgot this earlier, but of course Heatherdowns. Specifically next to Nessie in front of the steps. There is something comforting about the smell of the creosote and the sound of coaster and museum.
 
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I've been pondering this question for a few days.

The first location that jumped to mind was the now defunct Sea Garden at SWO. I thought the coral reef was clever and charming.

Immediately after that, however, I thought of Seuss Landing at IoA. Until the Harry Potter areas opened, it was for me the best decorated section of any park. The designs were spot on, and I love both the carousel and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.

That thought led me, of course, to the incredibly immersive Harry Potter sections of USO and IoA. I particularly adore Diagon Alley, because HP is my geek. I generally find ways to spend hours there, playing with my interactive wand, eating at the Leaky Cauldron, exploring the shops, and of course enjoying Gringotts.

I also love the Polar Pathway at BGW's Christmas Town. The lights and music are beautiful. I always spend time eating doughnuts and sipping wassail, while admiring the displays.

I agree with Zimmy about the former Wild Reserve. The animals, the landscaping, and the cabanas made that area a calm escape from the rest of the park.
 
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Nicole brings up a point with Harry Potter. The Jurassic Park section of IOA is a place where I can just walk around and be supper happy that I'm /in/ Jurassic Park.
 
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Hard to choose but I would have to say Oktoberfest, Festa Italia, Killarney, and the France section are my favorite areas Of Busch Gardens
 
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